Two high school basketball teams brought this old adage to life when they worked together to help an autistic player score the final points of a championship game.

During the final moments of Saturday’s section championship game between Trinity Classical Academy (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and Desert Chapel High School (Palm Springs, Calif.), it was clear that Trinity was going to win the game. And with a 23-point lead, the couch decided to sub in 5-foot-6 freshman Beau Howell, a player with autism.

With under a minute left in the game, Beau missed two consecutive shots, which prompted Desert’s coach to call a timeout.

Desert Chapel senior Taner Alvarez then handed the ball to Howell, who took a shot and missed. Then something truly special happened — the Desert teammates guided Beau closer to the basket, encouraging him to shoot again. After a few attempts, Howell scored his first-ever basket. The gymnasium erupted into cheers as Howell threw his hands in the air and ran to hug his teammates.

Beau Howell and his Trinity teammates. (Signalscvsports.com)

“We saw him come on the court and everyone giving him a standing ovation, and he probably hadn’t scored in his life,” Alvarez told The Santa Clarita Valley Signal. “Why not let him score in the biggest game of his life?”

“He wanted me to make the shot, even though they lost,” Howell said of Alvarez.

As March Madness heats up, players around the country should be inspired by the true sportsmanship of these California high school teams.

“That will always be in my heart,” Alvarez said. “That kid scoring and for me to give him that shot felt pretty cool.”